The Pictorial Key to the
Tarot: Being Fragments of a Secret Tradition under the Veil of Divination by
Arthur E. Waite
Review by Nina Lee Braden

In 1910, Arthur Edward Waite published The Pictorial Key to the Tarot:
Being Fragments of a Secret Tradition under the Veil of Divination.
Waite's book is important to tarot studies, but Waite's book is not
particularly useful or helpful for most tarot students. Without question,
Waite was a scholar of immense ability. His knowledge of mysticism, magic,
and occultism was extensive. However, today's student is hampered in
reading him because of several reasons. First, Waite took his vows of
initiation very seriously. He therefore will often obliquely state his
message so that only other initiates can decipher his meaning. Second,
Waite's style of writing is rather ponderous and elaborate, as the
following sentence illustrates:

"The suggestion that divination by cards had behind it the unexpected
warrants of ancient hidden science, and that the root of the whole subject
was in the wonder and mystery of Egypt, reflected thereon almost a divine
dignity; out of the purlieus of occult practices cartomancy emerged into
fashion and assumed for the moment almost pontifical vestures" (48).

Third, although Waite's book describes and explains the Rider-Waite-Smith
deck, either he wrote his text before Smith finished the illustrations or
he did not look carefully at her illustrations. There are places where his
descriptions and her illustrations do not match.

This said, Waite's book is extremely valuable for gaining insights into
his deck, into the Golden Dawn, and into the state of occult scholarship
circa 1910. Waite's book is also useful for its annotated bibliography.
Although most of the works that he mentions are extremely rare, it is
insightful to read his opinions of these works. In addition to a section
on the history of tarot, explanations of the individual cards, and the
bibliography, Waite's Pictorial Key also contains a section on
choosing a significator and on using the classic Celtic Cross spread. In
fact, many modern books will use Waite's exact phraseology in describing
this spread. The overall importance and impact of Waite's book cannot be
over-estimated. However, the average tarot reader or student would be
better served by other, more contemporary, books.